He Stands Alone
by Pricat
Summary: Fate brings two lonely and misunderstood souls, royal princess and an ogre boy together and their friendship blossoms but life has other things in store. Were they meant to be or just friends? Only time will tell....
1. Chapter 1

**He Stands Alone**

**A/N I felt like doing this. It's about Shrek and Fiona meeting as teenagers and realising Fate had brought them together but then things like being sent away to a tower makes things worse but it's about finding somebody whose soul is like their own and feeling that they belong. I might do more of this if people like it.**

It was a wet and rainy night and in a forest a young ogre boy was trying to find shelter. He'd been sent away from his home and parents on his birthday.

But he was afraid of the world a little

His name was Shrek.

Unlike other ogres and human kids his age, he had a good heart and was very loving but shy and nervous because of how others judged him. But he was thinking about something.

One day last week he'd came to a village in the kingdom of Far, Far Away but people were afraid but somebody was watching him with no disgust or fear in their eyes.

It was a girl who looked the same age as him with fair skin, turquise eyes that shone brightly in the afternoon sun, slender with a long red braid running down her back and wore a dark green dress but her friends had made her stay away.

He sighed as he felt the hurt inside from what her friends had told her about him.

He knew that somewhere, somebody would love him for who he was and not because he was different as he felt the rain touch his white shirt and brown vest.

But in a palace bedroom somebody was bored and miserable.

_"Why do I have to be perfect all the time just because I'm royal?_

_I can be friends with whoever I want and he looked so sad, so lonely like me_." she thought preparing to sneak out of the castle as she normally did.

Her name was Fiona and she was princess and heir of Far, Far Away but she didn't like the royal life and sometimes wanted to be like other girls but her father King Harold didn't see things his daughter's way and told her that being royal was her destiny and nothing would change it.

She was very fiery and strong willed like her mother but was lonely.

Most of the other girls in the kingdom were mean and spitefyl to her because of her status and she longed for somebody who understood her not as royalty but as a person.

She smiled as she left the castle through the secret passage she'd found as a child and ran off towards the forest......


	2. When the Ogre and the Princess Met

**He Stands Alone**

It was early morning in the forest as Shrek's eyes opened.

He had been dreaming about stuff but was hungry as he went to an nearby stream to wash and drink.

He seemed distracted undressing before going into the stream. His ears picked up footsteps coming this way and dived in underwater so nobody, not even any hunters would see him.

"_That's better." _the thirteen year old thought as he relaxed for a little while.

But as he poked his head to the surface a little, he saw somebody sitting by the stream near where his clothes were but gasped a little in awe.

It was the girl from the village.

She looked more beauitful than in the village.

"_What is she doing here?_

_I wonder....." _he thought as he came out of the water and walked into a bush with his clothes getting dressed.

Fiona wondered what he was doing.

"Are you okay?

I won't hurt you.

Won't you at least come out so I can see you?" she said.

Shrek heard warmth in her voice at that.

"Okay just don't be afraid.

I hate it when people scream or run from me." he replied coming out from the bush.

But to his surprise she wasn't afraid or screamed but seemed to understand how lonely he was but wondered why.

"I'm Fiona.

The other day in the village I wanted to speak to you but my father's friends were around and I had to make him happy and not cause trouble. You're probably wondering how I understand how it feels to be lonely, right?" she told him as he nodded in reply.

"Yeah I was about to ask that." Shrek said softly to her.

"Because my parents are important, other kids hate me for that and make fun of me for it so I'm always alone and when I looked into your eyes, I saw how sad and alone you were.

It hurts doesn't it?" she answered as he nodded.

"_Wow she understands how I feel._

_Maybe not all humans are bad like my parents said before sending me away._

_Maybe I can trust her."_ he thought as the sunlight seeped through the tree leaves.

"I'm Shrek.

I have been roaming many lands and kingdoms searching." he told her.

Fiona was confused by what the ogre boy had just said.

"Why have you been roaming the lands?" she asked him.

"To find somewhere I can call..... home.

You see ogre kids only live with their parents for a while but when they feel they're old enough, they send them away into the world to make a life for themselves in the world but it's rough and the world is cold and cruel.

I've been roaming since I was seven years old Fiona but now I might have found home in this land, in this forest." he explained to her as she nodded in reply.

But then she realised her own parents would be waking up and come looking for her and then it would be worse for Shrek if they found him here.

"Shrek I-I have to go.

My parents....... they might come looking for me and if they found you here, they could...... hurt you and I don't want that.

I'll come back, I promise." she told him.

"It's okay Fiona.

Just come back when you can.

You're a good friend." he said as she left.........


	3. Trusting Artie

**He Stands Alone**

**A/N I know Artie's supposed to be in Worchester but I thought it would be cool to have him in this fic while his Dad goes to Worchester to see if Artie can go there.**

Fiona sighed as she returned to the castle.

Luckily her father was still asleep but her mother Queen Lillian was awake and in the dining room. She knew that Fiona snuck out at night or during the day just to have a little freedom but knew where she'd been.

It was in that very forest she'd met Harold.

"Good morning dear.

You okay?" she asked her daughter.

Fiona nodded in reply.

"Yes I'm fine." Fiona answered.

"That's good because your cousin Artie is coming to stay with us for a little while.

Isn't that great?

I know you'll be friends." Lillian told her as the teenager left the room.

Fiona wasn't really happy that Artie was coming.

He was sort of annoying and a smart aleck but sometimes quiet and shy but thought he was somebody most of the time when they were little.

"_Maybe he's changed since then._

_I have." _she thought as she got washed and changed for her cousin coming.

But before Artie came, she decided to go to the forest and be with Shrek.

"It would be better than hanging around here." she told herself leaving through the secret passage.

Artie was nervous as he sat in the carriage with his father Gryphon Pendragon. He was older than Artie and was very fearsome sometimes especially when he was angry like right now.

Artie had been having trouble fitting in at his last few schools and he'd gotten expelled from his last one by trying to defend himself from the kids who picked on him so the boy was staying with his aunt and uncle while he searched for an new school that would take him.

"_He never understands anything I say or want._

_I didn't start that fight in school but he doesn't believe me._

_I wish Mom hadn't died._

_She wouldn't treat me like Dad does." _the fourteen year old brown haired boy thought sadly as he looked out at Far, Far Away as they approached it.

Artie used to come to the kingdom a lot when he was younger to play with Fiona but as time went on, he stopped coming.

Fiona smiled finding her ogre friend building something.

It was a house.

"I'm glad you're here Fiona.

You seem annoyed about something." he said.

"It's just my cousin Artie.

He's annoying and a pain in the butt." she said angrily as Shrek chuckled.

"Yeah I know how that feels.

I have a cousin like that.

His name is Snowgre." he answered her.

But she realised that Artie would be here soon and ran back to the castle. Artie stepped out of the carriage nervously. It had been a long while since he'd been here but would rather be here than with his father. Harold smiled seeing his nephew but saw sadness in his emerald eyes but saw one of his eyes were swollen.

Gryphon gave his son a cold look as he left in the carriage.

"Artie you okay?

You..... look scared." Harold said to him as he watched his father's carriage leave.

"Y-Yeah I'm okay." he answered shakily.

But as the day went on, Fiona was worried herself. Artie was never this quiet or shy when he was here before and wondered why he was like this but was more worried when she overheard her father saying about hunters in the forest and was nervous.

"Please don't let them have found him." she muttered under her breath as she went through the secret passage and ran to the forest.

She hoped she wasn't too late.....

She heard shouting come from where her friend normally was and saw him caught in a snare but he looked truly scared and it angered her.

"_How dare they do this to him!_

_He's not an animal!"_ she thought as white hot rage burned through her as she started kicking their butts using karate she'd learned from her mother.

The hunters ran off scared but one remained but as she dealt with him, she felt pain in her arm as he'd stuck his weapon in it by accident.

Shrek felt anger at this.

He managed to break free and scare the spit out of the hunter as he saw him run away in fear.

"Fiona..... you okay?

You were awesome!" he told her seeing her faint but was worried seeing somebody come out from the bush.

It was Artie.

"W-What happened to her?

It was because she was protecting you that she got hurt this happened!

Why do you even care about her?

You barely know her freak." he told him.

Shrek's trumpet shaped ears drooped at that sadly.

"I know she got hurt...... trying to save me but she has gotten to know me Artie.

We trust each other and understand each other.

She cares about everybody regardless of what they are.

What about you?" he told the boy.

Artie was speechless about that as he saw the ogre boy stare at his swollen eye.

"Forget about me for now.

What about Fiona?

She's seriously hurt." he told him as Shrek sighed.

He had came up with something in his mind but it was dangerous for somebody like him to enter the castle.

"We're going to take her back to the castle.

That way her parents can help her.

But I'm going to need your help Artie.

I'm doing something truly dangerous, even risking my life." he told him.

Artie nodded in reply.

"Okay what should we do?" he replied as Shrek smiled.

Later that night Shrek and Artie were making their way into the castle but the ogre boy was wearing a hooded cloak so he wouldn't scare anybody. Artie had an idea how they could get past the guards.

"Use the secret passage that Fiona uses to go to the forest." he said as the ogre boy agreed and followed him.

They then went upstairs to Fiona's room as Shrek laid her on the bed on her side to prevent further pain.

But Artie noticed he seemed a little sad and scared about something.

"Will they be angry at me because she's hurt?" he asked as his trumpet shaped ears drooped sadly.

Artie couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

"No they won't.

I'll tell her parents, my aunt and uncle that it was an accident.

That way they won't be mad." Artie answered putting a hand on his shoulder. But then suddenly guards burst into the room and grabbed the ogre boy.

"What's going on here?" Artie asked them worriedly.

"Take him to the dungeon men." the captain of the guards told his men as they took the teenage ogre away.

"He's not doing any harm!

He brought Fiona back here because she was injured by a hunter in the forest while saving his life." Artie told the guards.

"You'll have to tell the King that then.

Until then your friend's in a dungeon cell." the captain of the guards told the boy as he left the room. Artie was really worried for Shrek. He'd done nothing wrong but had helped bring Fiona back so she could heal from her injury.

He growled at the injustice of it.

Fiona's eyes opened slowly as she saw Artie there but he looked sad.

"What's wrong?

Where's Shrek?" she asked with growing worry.

"He's in a dungeon cell.

When we brought you back, we were surrounded in here by guards but I told them what happened but they said I have to explain it to your father.

He'll never understand." Artie answered as she saw sadness in his emerald eyes.

"Then make him listen." she told him.

Later that night Artie went down to the dungeon. He hoped that Shrek was okay and not hurt from the guards but he'd gone quietly with them. But he saw him sitting curled up in a ball on the cell floor.

"You okay?" he said entering the cell seeing some cuts and wounds on his friend's arms and hands.

"Did the guards do this to you?

They look nasty." Artie said to him sitting on the floor beside him but saw great sadness in his hazel eyes.

"No they didn't.

They were more civil.

I got them from somebody else." the ogre boy replied as Artie had an idea.

"Your father?

Mine too.

After my Mom died, he changed into something else.

I've been afraid to be myself but I know what he's doing." Artie replied.

"What?" the ogre boy asked.

"He's going to a school called Worchester Academy which is very far away to make the principal take me but I don't want to go.

I won't fit in there and be miserable." Artie told him as Shrek nodded in reply.

He then saw Artie get to his feet.

"Wait!

Where're you going?" he asked him.

"To tell my uncle King Harold what happened.

With luck, you'll be out of here by morning.

I promise but don't let anybody especially Fiona know what we talked about, okay?" Artie answered as the ogre boy nodded in reply. He hoped that the King would listen to Artie and let him go.

Fiona woke as the sun rose the next morning but was worried seeing Artie come in.

"Don't worry he's safe.

I told Uncle Harold what happened and he let him go.

Let's go see him later, okay?

I'm sure that'll make him happy." Artie said leaving her room.


End file.
